My neice is an apiring photographer. She wants a camera that you can change out the lens like the 35 mm camera, but she also sees the benefits of having a digital camera. Is there a camera that can do both?
What would be the best camera to buy her for christmas? Now she's just a junior in high school, so we aren't talking professional camera with a professional price tag. Is there a camera possibly $500 or below that would work for her needs? I would definatly prefer as much under $500 as possible so i could do it alone, but if need be my brother and i could go intogether and go up to $500 or so.
Buying used is also an option, or ebay. However since we have no photography experience, we have no clue the price range, or the type of camera to look for. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Answers & Comments
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Like they said. your looking for a digital slr. these are interchangeable lens cameras. although the jump from point-and-shoot to SLR(single lens reflex, fancy for you see what your lens sees) is not cheap. I use all Canon and in my opinion you cant beat it. this may change from person to person. The thing is that when you buy a certain brand of SLR(canon, nikon, olympous, ect.) you need to stick with it because these lenses are not interchangeable. Ex. if you buy a canon body, a nikon lens will not work. this is why i choose canon, they are the leader in camera lenses. as far as cameras go i would consider the older canon digital rebel XT. you can get it off amazon right now for around $530. That also includes a kit lens which will get you started. Thats also the absolute cheapest brand new SLR i know of. I wouldnt get into used slr unless your buying from a trusted place or individual. this is because slr's have something called a sensor that is exposed to dust every time you take off the lense. if you buy from someone who didnt clean the sensor you will have massive dust build-up that you will have to either clean or replace. I would recomment buying online, amazon is very reliable. that is where i bought mine. I hope your neice decides to move up into the slr range of cameras, its uncompareable to point-and-shoot.
huntertphotography.com
OK, I'm not sure of the prices in US dollars so I'll just give you a list of the best cameras out there. OK. these cameras are Digital SLR's. You change the lenses and take high quality images. I think the Nikon brand is the best. The nikon D200 is the camera I'd recommend but that might break your budget. The D80 is the next camera I'd recommend then the D40x and then the D40. I'd also recommend that you buy it in a shop new. Then you can get it cleaned and looked after. Then lens that comes with the camera should do fine. I included a link below.
Now some people will recommended getting a canon. They are just as good but are not as good value.
Digital SLR's (DSLR) are similar to 35mm SLR cameras and offer the features you are describing (on Digital memory cards instead of film). Your price range is a difficult, but not insurmountable. You may have to go for an older model or buy a "refurb" (usually a demonstrator camera or one that was returned by a customer and can no longer be sold as "new"). If you shop wisely you can get some good deals that way.
I would look at on line resources for camera reviews to compare cameras & prices. A good source of camera reviews is Steve's Digicams it has a section for SLR's and lists many models. It may not have reviews of the very newest models but you are at the lower limit budget wise for a decent DSLR. His reviews have sections on features, sample pictures and "Steve's Conclusion" which tell you what he sees as Pros and Cons of each model. Also, he has links to compare prices and shop on-line.
Personally, I use three Olympus (Digital) SLR's because they are a smaller camera company that make top quality Optics and are very experienced in electronics. They have fewer models but they are usually less expensive than the "top" brands and they have multiple "grades" of lenses (Standard, Pro, and Top Pro) so you can find a selection of lenses at different prices. Olympus has two new models the E-410" and "E-510" that have lots of features and are very competitive price wise. Or if you can find the "E-500" that the most popular predecessor model you might be able to get a good deal on that.
A list of some very good camera manufacturers of Digital SLRs (in alphabetic order) Canon, Fuji, Konica-Minolta (now part of Sony), Leica (VERY expensive) , Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony.
Hope this helps.
Check Adorama, B&H or KEH for prices on the web.
Email if you have specific questions or need more help and I will be happy to help you find a good value and a safe place to buy on the web.
I'm not going to argue specific brands; I'm wondering if a digital SLR is more camera than she will use or need.
She's a junior in high school. I don't know how much experience she has in photography, but I'm wondering if she would be better off getting a regular digital camera. Point-and-shoot cameras today come with a lot of the bells and whistles previously only available on higher-end cameras. On my camera, which I purchased for $250 three years ago, I can use a number of manual settings as well as letting the camera take care of the details. Also, digital cameras still seem to be updating quickly. They now have higher resolution and better optical zoom capacities.
Just my thoughts. I hope she enjoys whatever you get for her.
The first SLR camera I got is still good enough to use today. And is VERY inexpensive now. A 35mm Canon Rebel G SLR.
Now I have a Canon Rebel XTi DSLR to use along with it.
Both are wonderful and take great pictures! And they are great learning experiences.
The 35mm Rebel G could be gotten off Ebay for under $200 and then the lenses and extras could be gotten and still be under the $500 mark.
What you're looking for is an entry-level digital SLR. Find a camera store and tell them exactly what you're looking for and they will show you what's available. I'm not sure what a Nikon D40 sells for, but it's a nice sturdy entry-level Nikon. Canon would be another good brand. There are cheaper brands, but you get what you pay for, and Nikon and Canon are the best.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_...
Nikon D40 just hit the $500 mark. It comes with lens. Shipping and a memory card will add a bit more.
There are some good 35mm digital cameras you can buy. Here are a few less expensice ones; Nikon D50, D70, D40.
The Nikon D40X is a 10megapixel, better than the 6 Megaixel listed before.
Some stores have good pakcage deals; camera body, lens, battery, battery charger included.
You can look at www.samys.com they have good prices and info on their cameras. Plus they have manufact. rebates.
I reccommend getting a 2 gigabyte Scandisk memory card.
Chekc your local paper for sales ads.
Look at the Canon Rebel XT.
The XT is an excellent choice for an entry level SLR in that price range.
Buy it used at B&H - It's a highly respected online store
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/